Happy Birthday, JFK!

John F. Kennedy was a president, husband, father and man. Today, we are celebrating JFK the animal lover! He owned and loved many animals: Tom Kitten the cat, Zsa Zsa the rabbit, parakeets named Bluebell and Marybelle, hamsters named Debbie and Billie, a horse named Sardar, ponies named Macaroni, Tex and Leprechan, and dogs named Shannon, Wolf, Clipper, Charlie and Pushinka.

He loved his pets so much, President Kennedy was the first to request that his dogs meet the Presidential helicopter when it arrived at the White House.

Pushinka was a gift of peace from the Soviet Premier Nikita Krushchev. Pushinka was already famous for being a descendant of Strelka, one of the first dogs sent to space, now she was living it up at the White House. Pushinka was very good friends with Welsh terrier, Charlie.

Soon, they had four pups named Butterfly, White Tip, Blackie and Streaker.

Here are the Kennedys at Hyannis Port with Irish spaniel Shannon, Welsh terrier Charlie, German shepherd Clipper and the pups of Pushinka and Charlie.

A regular at the White House was a pony, and they called him Macaroni.

So many of the presidents and their families had a bunch of pets. I can’t remember which one but one of the presidents kept an alligator in the White House. Lincoln had a bunch of cats and a goat, T. Roosevelt had EVERYTHING, including a bear. Wilson grazed sheep on the White House lawn. Jefferson had a mockingbird who would take fruit from Jefferson’s lips. The presidents had all kinds of animals in the past. It’s only been recently that they are down to just dogs and cats.

I’ve heard tell that Sir Gerald Nabardo has a pet prawn called ‘Simon’–you wouldn’t call him a looney…furthermore, Dawn Pailthorpe, the lady show-jumper, had a clam called ‘Stafford,’ after the late Chancellor…Allan Bullock has two pikes, both called ‘Chris’…and Marcel Proust had an haddock!

Am I the only one who has some doubts as to whether Charlie is the father of those chubby puppehs? The light bibs and darker coloring doesn’t look much like either parent or a combination of them. Not that they’re any less cute, of course.

Pretty sure one of those puppies is an English Cocker Spaniel (I am not sure what an Irish Spaniel is…). I grew up with them and the blue roan puppy in the pic is most certainly is a spitting image of my dogs.

Charlie is a welsh terrier and the welshie puppies are dark when they are born and then lighten up as they grow, keeping a black or grizzled saddle. Their original ancestor was the Black and Tan. Alas, welshies are quite rare these days, and they are excellent dogs and have the best temperament of the terriers.